Crimson Red Sports

First let me say I think this team is extremely talented and has a chance to win back to back titles.  However, there is one major concern, in my opinion, that could hinder this.  With all the new faces on the defensive side of the ball, I am worried about them trying to do "too much".  When this happens technique breaks down along with taking care of their assignments.  I think back to a couple of years ago when the D made many mistakes in techniques and assignments.  The best example I can give is the LSU game. EX: missed tackles, allowing running back to get outside in crucial 3rd down that would have made them punt right before half time and Bama getting field position with a chance to score, the outside coming down on the inside runner allowing the reverse to work. 

This is my major concern, your?

That year, CNS said all along, before the season started and during, that he was concerned about the defense not being where they needed to be and that missed assignments were a great concern to him. His tune has been drastically different this year, at least through spring practice, stating this team has more focus then the '10 team. Plus, this defense is not as young or inexperienced as '10's. I'm not saying we'll go undefeated, though the possibility's still pretty good, but I don't see us losing 3 games either, this year.

I agree, coach, that it is a distinct possibility. However, one thing I see that is different is that there are better leaders on this defense. I have heard it said that some on the 2010 D were just marking time until they got to the NFL and there was no leadership. This year I see leadership qualities in guys like D Square, J Williams, R Lester, and N Johnson. I think they will be able to keep the young guys focused and on track. As far as title runs, I think this is the year rather than next year, because next year our OL will be almost completely new, and it is darn hard to win a title with an untested OL. Some people think next year will be the year because all of our skill players will be more experienced and our D will have more exerience. But I think it has to be this year, because of the OL. And I am really counting on the offense being a lot more explosive this year. As I said in another thread, I think we have more playmakers than we have ever had. Lacy, Hart, & Yeldon are outstanding RBs, and guys like K Bell, C Jones, and K Norwood all have explosive play-making ability. I also expect B Calloway to make some noise from the H back. AJ is going to have a lot of weapons, and the OL is going to dominate. Our offense should be able to score a lot of points this year. The only thing I really fear is an injury or two on the OL. That could be devestating.

I agree, Tuneman. If the OL avoids injuries, Bama has a good chance to repeat. IMHO, OL is the most important group of any football team and this OL has the potential to be one of the best of all-time. Bama's RB's have great potential and physical skills, AJ should be a productive passer, and the defense will be  at least one of the 10 best in the nation. Hard to envision that Bama will slip much from last year, and might even be better.

I am loving what I am hearing and seeing here. My main concern is leadership and the 4th QTR. program. We have put a lot of people away in that 2nd half because of the training. If our guys are in shape the injuries will not come so easy. I sure am ready for that first game and to see what a powerhouse we have on defense. RTR!

I'm hoping we are in "the Hat's" head so much, that he focuses way too much on beating us, and gets slapped by USCe, or somebody...that would make them an easier, but still formidable, target for us.

That game as we all know, is THE game of the year...

Be all what may...BEAT THE COW COLLEGE!

I agree, I think the offense has a chance to be special.  What concerns me about the rec's is who will actually step up and be the leaders/go to guys.  The O line shoulod be able to hold their own against anyone.

What I like about the RB's is the depth.  They seem to all be able to catch the ball and with the OL has a chance to make positive yardage more often than not.

Their D will enable them to be in all games.  The O should be pretty good with all the RB's they have.  What they have to worry about is LM messing things up.

My biggest concern, if I had to nail one down, would be at H.  We've been blessed at the H position for a few years now with NFL talent.  While I desperately hope Calloway will step up, he's VERY new to the position.  I don't think Vogler or the other kid are the answers, at least not from a weapon-in-the-passing-game standpoint.

I actually don't worry too much about the D, as this is college football and turnover from year to year is part of the game.  Having said that, I think we return more than our share of talent and experience, and couple that with the fact that Saban, other coaches, the Bama fanbase, the guy that changed my oil yesterday, and everyone else is talking about avoiding the leadership issues we had 2 years ago, I highly doubt that would end up being the achilles heel of this team, should one exist.

Back to the H, I actually expect this team's identity to be a bit different in years past, in that a higher percentage of our passing attempts go to WR's.  Rumors out of Tuscalossa allude to the new OC's route tree being different and a higher emphasis on stretching the field.  I still think we'll have our traditional 50/50 split between run and pass, but I think our passing game may look a bit different.  I hope it works.

I think BC did a decent job at H.  I could actually see JF getting some reps there if the coaches decided to make the move.

You guys sure do a lot of worring over nothing. Bama has the best coach and staff in college football as well as a large group of the best athletes in the country. ???  :dunno:

This is my concern.  They had the same adavantage a couple of years ago and those mistakes happened that I mentioned above that cost them games.

When you look at the players we have returning on defense, the experience really shows, compared to the '10 team:

D. Square
Q. Dial
Je. Williams
A. Hubbard
X. Dickson
T. Depriest
N. Johnsom
D. Milliner
V. Sunseri
R. Lester
D. Belue (Juco experience)

All these guys have had significant playing time, along with the ones behind them. There are no true first time players on "D" as there was in '10:

Dee Milliner
Dre Kirkpatrick
C.J. Mosley
D. Menzie

This, IMO, is the big difference between the 2 teams. I see leaders emerging on this team that the '10 team did not have, simply because the "D" was so young in '10. We didn't get beat much by the run 2 years ago, it was missed assignments in the passing game that cost us 3 games. That was the area where, though we had lots of talent, we had little experience. That's not the case this year.

I agree 2. The only red flag that I see on this team is the depth at QB. The transfer of Simms could be a problem at some point in the season but I'm sure CNS and staff have already put in a plan if this happens.

Yeah, the OL will really need to protect AJ, but I have confidence Sims, Morris or Ely will be ready to step in if need be.

I see and understand your point about the experience coming back.  However, concerning the corners, that is where a lot of the mistakes were made in 2010 year.

I think we are in much better shape with the corners this year. Dee Milliner has a lot of experience and even though Belue hasn't played a down for us yet, he has been receiving high praise from CNS. He does have 2 years experience playing juco ball. It's just a matter of him learning CNS's system. Where the issue may be is the amount of experience behind them.